Arsenal Face Italian Fight In £20m Winger Chase – Report

Juan Cuadrado is a reported target for Arsenal but Fiorentina want to keep the winger.

Arsenal face a difficult task in landing winger Juan Cuadrado after Fiorentina insisted they want to keep hold of the Colombia international for a numbers of years to come.

Cuadrado has been scouted on numerous occasions by the Gunners and has recently been fielding a lot of questions regarding his future with Fiorentina as he goes from strength to strength in Serie A.

But club president Andrea Della Valle insists that Cuadrado will hopefully remain at Fiorentina for a long time and won't be tempted by a move to Arsenal as he feels at home with the current tight-knit squad.

"We will try to do everything possible to keep him in Florence," he said, according to Talksport. "Cuadrado we want you to stay here for a long time and have fun as you are doing now.

"This team has the pride of wearing the purple shirt. It is a cycle of great guys in a very tight dressing room - being with them gives you joy."

After spending time with Fiorentina on loan from Udinese in the 2012-13 season the club were able to seal a deal for the attacking star to make a permanent move.

His passing skills and finishing ability put him on the radar for Arsene Wenger and head scout Dick Law was believed to be in talks with Cuadrado's agent about his current situation but the 25-year-old has maintained that he is happy at Fiorentina - for now.

Arsenal are believed to be set for some big spending in January but Cuadrado would cost them around £20m if they are able to convince the player to push for an exit.

Arsene Wenger appeared to be struggling for attacking options at the weekend against Manchester United with the Gunners falling to a 1-0 loss to the title holders and only able to introduce Nicklas Bendtner in order to try and find a goal.

Many pundits commented that the bench looked particularly thin for Arsenal and more depth will surely be needed if the side hope to be a serious challenger for the title over the next six months.